Streetlight Program
Background
Streetlights are a critical part of Long Beach’s transportation and public safety infrastructure. The Public Works Department maintains more than 35,000 streetlights that illuminate roadways, sidewalks, bikeways, bridges, tunnels, parking lots, parks, and other public spaces throughout Long Beach. Reliable street lighting improves visibility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency responders while supporting neighborhood safety, mobility, and quality of life.
Routine maintenance activities include:
- Replacing damaged or non-functioning fixtures
- Repairing damaged wiring and electrical components
- Replacing knocked-down poles
- Repairing conduits and pull boxes
- Replacing photocells and lighting controls
- Responding to emergency outages and safety hazards
To help ensure public safety, repairs are prioritized based on urgency. Highest-priority responses include knocked-down poles, exposed wiring, and outages caused by theft or vandalism.
Reporting a Streetlight Outage
Residents can report streetlight outages through the Go Long Beach app or online service request system.
Once a report is submitted, Public Works crews inspect the location, identify the cause of the outage, and schedule repairs as needed.
While routine outages can often be repaired within a few days, theft and vandalism-related outages frequently require extensive rewiring and replacement of damaged infrastructure, resulting in longer repair timelines.
Why Streetlights Go Out
Not all streetlight outages are caused by burned-out bulbs. Streetlights may stop working for a variety of reasons, including:
- Copper wire theft
- Vandalism
- Vehicle collisions
- Damaged underground conduit
- Aging infrastructure
- Electrical equipment failures
- Severe weather and storm-related impacts
In some cases, a single incident can affect multiple streetlights and result in outages spanning several blocks.
Addressing Copper Wire Theft and Vandalism
Copper wire theft and vandalism have become one of the most significant challenges facing streetlight systems throughout California and across the nation. These incidents often damage wiring, conduits, pull boxes, and electrical components, resulting in widespread outages and complex repairs.
Unlike a routine outage, theft-related damage frequently requires multiple crew members, specialized equipment, and reconstruction of underground infrastructure, which can significantly extend repair timelines.
To reduce theft and improve system reliability, Public Works is implementing several strategies, including:
- Tamper-resistant and locking handhole covers
- Concrete and epoxy protection around pull boxes
- Hardened streetlight poles
- Smaller-gauge wiring that meets LED lighting requirements while reducing replacement costs
- Solar-powered streetlights in targeted locations
- Smart monitoring technology that provides real-time outage notifications
These improvements help deter theft, reduce repeat incidents, and improve service reliability.
Aging Infrastructure
Long Beach’s streetlight system has been built over many decades and includes a wide variety of infrastructure types, materials, and electrical systems.
Current challenges include:
- Aging poles and fixtures
- Older underground conduit systems
- Deteriorating electrical components
- LED fixtures approaching the end of their expected service life
Public Works continues to prioritize repairs, upgrades, and replacement of aging infrastructure as funding becomes available.
Modernizing the Streetlight System
LED Streetlight Conversion
The City completed a multi-year conversion of approximately 35,000 streetlights from high-pressure sodium fixtures to energy-efficient LED technology. LED lighting reduces energy consumption, lowers maintenance costs, and improves visibility while maintaining lighting standards.
Solar Streetlights
Public Works is piloting solar-powered streetlights in locations affected by recurring conduit damage and copper wire theft. Solar lighting eliminates the need for underground electrical wiring and utility power, helping improve reliability in targeted areas.
Smart Streetlight Monitoring
The City is also testing smart monitoring technology that automatically detects outages and electrical issues and notifies maintenance staff in real time. These systems help reduce response times, improve reliability, and support more efficient maintenance operations.
Funding
The Streetlight Program is funded through annual operating and maintenance budgets used to maintain and repair existing infrastructure.
Currently:
- Funding is available for maintenance and repair of existing streetlights.
- There is no dedicated funding source for widespread installation of new streetlights.
- Historically, new streetlights have been funded through Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), developer improvements, grants, and other one-time funding sources.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Residents can report outages through the Go Long Beach app or online service request portal. Providing the streetlight pole number, if available, helps crews identify the location more quickly.
Repair times vary depending on the cause of the outage. Routine repairs may be completed within a few days, while outages caused by copper theft, vandalism, vehicle collisions, or underground electrical damage can take significantly longer.
Many outages are not caused by a simple bulb failure. Copper wire theft and vandalism often require replacement of underground wiring, conduit, pull boxes, and other electrical equipment. These repairs are more complex and may require specialized materials and multiple crews.
The Streetlight Program's funding is primarily dedicated to maintaining and repairing existing infrastructure. New streetlight installations typically require separate funding sources, engineering review, and utility approvals.
Public Works is implementing several deterrents, including locking handhole covers, hardened pull boxes, concrete protection measures, solar-powered lighting, and smart monitoring technology that can provide real-time notifications when outages occur.
See Something, Say Something. Immediately report suspicious or unusual activity by calling 562.435.6711. For emergencies, call 9-1-1. Stay safe and do not approach. Provide the dispatcher with pertinent information.
Only City workers should be accessing electric pull boxes, generally located on the ground in parkways. This work is conducted during daytime hours. City workers will always be in a white truck with "Public Works" on the door, wearing a City uniform and an orange safety vest.
Streetlight brightness is determined by engineering standards and varies based on roadway type, traffic volumes, pedestrian activity, and safety needs. Major intersections and arterial streets generally require brighter lighting than residential streets.
Nearly all City-owned streetlights have been converted to LED technology. LED fixtures use less energy, require less maintenance, and provide improved lighting performance compared to older technologies.
Solar streetlights use solar panels and battery storage to power lighting without requiring underground electrical wiring. They can be particularly effective in locations that experience recurring copper wire theft or where traditional electrical service is difficult to maintain.</p<
Repairs are prioritized based on public safety and operational impacts. Knocked-down poles, exposed wiring, theft-related outages, and outages affecting major roadways or multiple lights are typically addressed before cosmetic or lower-priority issues.
All work orders should be submitted on the Go Long Beach app or online form. For more information or questions, please call (562) 570-3264.
More Information
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411 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone: (562) 570-5000
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